


Shot

by storm_8



Series: Joys of Motherhood [15]
Category: Women's Murder Club (TV)
Genre: F/F, Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-16
Updated: 2013-06-16
Packaged: 2017-12-15 04:23:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,556
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/845269
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/storm_8/pseuds/storm_8
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There is a shooting at school. 20 odd years later, Ashley still has nightmares about it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I don't own the show or its characters. I merely borrow them for everyone's enjoyment.  
> I do own the original characters: I am quite fond of them!  
> All mistakes are mine.
> 
> Less fluffy than previous installments.  
> This was the first time I delved into the future within this universe - giving a glimpse into what Lily's and Ashley's future might look like.

‘A rose by any other name, still smells as sweet.’ was written on the board. Ashley stared; she watched the teacher’s lips move, the woman talking about the wonders of Shakespeare, literary heritage and cultural importance, but the sound of her voice had long ago turned into background noise.

 

Ashley was so very bored; when the letters on the board started wiggling and doing skateboard tricks, the girl knew she was going insane and she felt the urge to sigh and bang her head on the table.

 

Why, oh why, did she have to sit through an English literature class, while her sister sat outside laughing at her friends’ jokes? She could clearly see Lily from her seat next to the window, and not for the first time in the past 45 minutes did she wish she had a free period instead of English Lit.

 

“Miss Boxer, have we lost you again?” came the teacher’s stern voice, jostling Ashley from her Shakespeare unrelated musings.

 

She focused back on Ms. Sullivan and noted that the whole class was staring at her.

 

“No…” the girl replied slowly. The teacher arched an eyebrow in evident disbelief.

 

“Really? So you wouldn’t mind telling us which play this quote was taken from.” The woman tapped the board with her pointer.

 

Ashley wanted to roll her eyes, but resisted the urge “Romeo and Juliet. The exact quote is ‘What's in a name? that which we call a rose/ By any other name would smell as sweet’ said by Juliet in reference to Romeo’s house; she means to say that the _names_ of things are not important, but what they _are_ in essence is.”

 

The teacher frowned; the teenager smiled to herself when the stern-looking woman went back to her dissertations on Shakespeare’s plays.

 

“You are a total jackass, you know that?” Kate murmured from her seat next to the brunette girl. Ashley just grinned in response.

 

******

 

“Today is gonna be a good day…” Lindsay said, grinning widely and crossing her hands behind her head.

 

Kayla glanced at her partner suspiciously “Why do you say that? Just because it’s almost lunch time and we haven’t been called to a murder scene yet, doesn’t mean there isn’t anything to investigate.”

 

Lindsay’s grin stayed firmly in place. Kayla rolled her eyes.

 

“You’re getting laid again.” The inspector stated flatly “So, you and Cindy aren’t fighting anymore?”

 

“Oh, the fight is over, all right.” Jill stopped in front of their desks, handing over a file to Kayla “They dumped the kids at our place last night and had us drive them to school this morning too.” She elaborated.

 

Lindsay scowled at her friend “You like my kids.”

 

The attorney grinned evilly “Yes, I do. And thank God they stayed over, because the poor girls would have been traumatized had they stayed home; from the look on your face, I’d say it was a pretty wild night…” She waggled her eyebrows suggestively.

 

The brunette woman growled and stomped out of the bullpen, muttering something about getting a coffee. Jill and Kayla shared a conspiratorial smile.

 

******

 

Only three minutes had passed since she’d last checked the clock above the classroom door. Ashley sighed and looked back out the window. Her sister was still sitting at a table with her friends, in all likelihood talking about the guys sitting two tables over. She sighed and looked at the clock again. She would take boy gossip over English Literature any time.

 

Three distant pops had her turning her attention back to the window. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, until someone came stumbling around from the back of the gym building. Several students had stood up from the tables, including Lily, who started forward only to be grabbed by the arm by one of her friends.

 

The person kept moving closer to the patio outside the cafeteria, stumbling and holding their hands to their stomach. When the person came close enough to the school building, Ashley noticed two things immediately: it was Mike, one of the boys from the drama club, whom she’d met through Lily, and he was bleeding, _profusely_.

 

“Oh. My. God!”

 

Ashley’s exclamation and sudden jump towards the window attracted Ms. Sullivan’s attention. She was not happy at being interrupted and was about to make her displeasure known, when several other students jumped to their feet and towards the windows.

 

“What is going on?!” The teacher asked, pushing her way through the crowd of students to get to Ashley. When she saw what was happening outside, her pointer fell to the floor.

 

The commotion increased outside and when Lily realized it was her friend who was stumbling towards them, she ran to him. When he swayed and collapsed into her arms, Ashley dashed out the door as if the Devil himself was running after her.

 

******

 

Lindsay had just stepped out of the elevator after getting her coffee, when Jill came running around the corner, yelling her name and flailing her arms about.

 

“What the hell, Jill?!” the inspector protested when she almost ended up wearing her coffee.

 

“Oh my God, Lindsay!” the attorney exclaimed taking a few seconds to get her breathing back under control.

 

“What?!”

 

Before Jill could answer, Kayla burst out the bullpen door, Jacobi right behind her yelling into his cell phone. Lindsay could hear police sirens outside, as several cars sped past the building.

 

“What is going on?” she asked again.

 

“There have been shots fired at Mission High School, ten minutes ago.” Kayla said, dashing past her partner and out the door.

 

Jill barely had time to jump out of the way as Lindsay bulldozed past her, coffee flying out of her hand and landing on an unsuspecting Officer Michaels as he was passing by.

 

******

 

“Out of the way!” Ashley yelled, cutting through the crowd of students to get to her sister.

 

Lily looked up when her older sister stopped next to her and dropped to her knees. The brunette took off her shirt and pressed it against the boy’s stomach, trying to stem the flow of blood.

 

“I already called for an ambulance. And the police are on their way.” Ashley’s basketball coach informed, dropping to her knees as well, grabbing one of Mike’s hands “Hang in there! Help is on the way.”

 

The boy started to say something, but he only coughed up blood.

 

“Lily.” Ashley called, trying to get the other girl’s attention.

 

The redhead teen’s hands and forearms were covered in blood from when she had tried to apply pressure before her sister had gotten to them and she looked scared.

 

“Lily! Here, put pressure on this.” She nodded downwards with her head.

 

The girl scooted over and did as told, Ashley moving around her to try and listen to what the boy kept trying to say through the blood running down his chin.

 

The students around them were murmuring amongst themselves, several girls sobbing and crying, others looking utterly shocked. Two teachers ran out into the parking lot when they heard the sirens approaching, while others had run towards the gym trying to find the culprit, even though he was probably long gone.

 

Mike grabbed onto Ashley’s tank top, looking desperately at her. He wanted to tell her who had shot him, but the words kept failing him and the only thing that came out of his mouth was more blood.

 

“Mike, hang on! You’ll be fine, the ambulance is here, just hang on!” Ashley pleaded. He tightened his grip on her for a few seconds and the girl felt the moment his hand loosened and he released his last breath.

 

“Mike, NO!!” Lily exclaimed, just as the paramedics arrived.

 

The basketball coach pulled the brunette teen away to give them some room, but Lily didn’t want to move. She kept calling his name and was now openly crying. Ashley grabbed her around the waist and forcibly hoisted her away, Lily protesting, screaming and trying to free herself. The brunette just held her tighter, pulling her away until she stopped struggling and sagged against her, crying her heart out.

 

Ashley watched as the paramedics intubated Mike and then yelled for the third EMT to charge the defibrillator to 200. She lost track of time, watching helplessly and Lily holding onto her desperately.

 

******

 

_20 years later…_

 

“That was the first time I saw someone die. I was sixteen, my sister had just turned fourteen two weeks before.” A much older Ashley murmured softly, staring ahead, knees pulled up to her chest and arms wrapped around them.

 

She sighed and turned her head to look at the woman sitting on the couch next to her.

 

“You were so young… And your sister…” Rachel trailed off, moving closer to her lover and wrapping her arms around the brunette’s torso.

 

Ashley smiled wryly “Lily decided she wanted to study medicine, after our mother closed the case. When she announced it at the dinner table, mom chocked on her food. She had always thought my sister wanted to become a journalist, just like mom…”

 

“Well, she is becoming one of the best cardio surgeons I’ve ever met…” Rachel grinned, trying to lighten the mood “Besides, we wouldn’t have met if it wasn’t for her…”

 

Ashley frowned “I thought you said you didn’t know I was her sister when they insisted on taking me to the ER because of a _scratch_!”

 

“Details… Details…” The woman waved a hand dismissively “And it wasn’t a scratch! You needed 18 stitches!” Her gaze softened “Your friend wasn’t so lucky…”

 

“Yeah…” Ashley sighed and continued her story.


	2. Chapter 2

Cindy barreled through the officers standing by the crime scene tape, not stopping when they called out after her; she had more important things to worry about. However, she hadn’t taken three steps when she was grabbed by the arm and dragged in the opposite direction.

 

“Hey!” She complained.

 

Claire stopped and turned to her friend, waving the officers away, when she saw them moving towards them. She grabbed the redhead by the shoulders and stared down at her.

 

“Cindy, you have to calm down. Ashley and Lily are physically fine, but what they don’t need is more people freaking out around them, ok?”

 

The reporter wanted to argue; Claire was far too calm.

 

“Cindy!” came the harsh voice again, when the redhead opened her mouth to go on a tirade.

 

Cindy then noticed that Claire wasn’t as calm as she seemed to be. The hands on her shoulders were shaking slightly and her face showed clearly that she was beyond worried.

 

The shorter woman nodded and took a few deep breaths, trying to calm her slightly frayed nerves. “It’s just… I was getting used to not having more nightmares because of the explosion and now this…”

 

Claire pulled the other woman close, as much for Cindy’s comfort as her own.

 

******

 

Lily had still not let go of her sister and Lindsay was becoming seriously worried. Ashley hadn’t said much and, according to the paramedics, seemed to be in shock. Jill stayed with them, giving threatening glares to anyone who approached them, while she worked the scene and waited for Cindy to arrive.

 

The inspector focused back on the too young boy who had been shot in broad daylight. The paramedics had tried, but couldn’t save him.

 

“He’s too damn young to be on my table.” Claire’s blunt statement made her jump.

 

Lindsay heard Lily’s small cry and turned to see the girl clinging to Cindy, the reporter not caring whether she might get blood on her clothes. Denise had arrived as well, motioning for Jill to get to work, indicating she would stay with the teenagers. Surprisingly, as soon as Denise laid a hand on Ashley’s shoulder the girl turned to the woman and leaned into her.

 

The surprise was short lived though, when Lindsay glanced back to the young boy lying in a pool of blood; what was it that she’d said about it being a good day…?

 

******

 

“Ma’am, please try to calm down!” Kayla insisted, laying a comforting hand on the woman’s arm.

 

“I can’t calm down! In case you haven’t noticed one of my students was shot on the school grounds! So don’t tell me to calm down!” The teacher gesticulated wildly and Kayla gritted her teeth.

 

“Mrs. Taylor, we’re well aware of what happened! If you’d be kind enough to answer Inspector Hamilton’s question, we’d solve this much quicker.” Lindsay interrupted, when she noticed the aggravated look on her partner’s face. She knew just how much Lily’s English teacher was able to bring out the desire to shoot something.

 

The woman scowled “You!” She pointed a finger accusingly.

 

“Yes, me!” The brunette interrupted again “My daughters just witnessed one of their friends dying so please keep your comments about mine and Ms. Thomas relationship to yourself!”

 

Kayla did a double take, eyes widening. Lindsay and the teacher glared at each other, but in the end Mrs. Taylor conceded and focused back on her.

 

“So…” Kayla started, trying to remember what she’d asked the woman before she’d gone on a rant “Ah, you said you were in the break room…?”

 

“Yes. My classes only start after lunchtime, so I was in there grading some papers, when Stephan, the janitor, came rushing in saying a student had been shot. When we got outside, Coach Preston had already called for an ambulance and was trying to keep the boy alive. The two girls were with him as well.”

 

The inspector nodded and jotted down the information on her notepad. She thanked the woman, who threw one last look at her student before walking away.

 

“You talked to the principal yet?” She asked Lindsay.

 

“Yeah, but he didn’t know anything until someone came to get him. Jacobi was talking to some of the students and they all saw the victim coming around from the back of the gym. They said they heard at least three gunshots…”

 

Kayla nodded and glanced toward the ambulance in the parking lot, where Lindsay’s daughters were sitting wrapped in blankets.

 

“Have you tried talking to Ash and Lily?”

 

The brunette sighed and closed her eyes, rubbing her aching temples. “Lily was crying and wouldn’t let go of her sister and Ash didn’t say much. Paramedics said she was in a bit of a shock, but should come out of it soon…”

 

Kayla laid a hand on her partner’s shoulder “You alright Lindsay?”

 

Her partner nodded “I’m gonna go talk to my daughters.” She then pointed towards the medical examiner “Check in with Claire? Oh, and the crime scene unit says there’s a trail of blood leading to the gym. See if they found any shell casings?”

 

They parted ways, Lindsay hurrying across the open space. Her daughters practically flew into her open arms, when they saw her approaching.

 

******

 

_A few hours later…_

 

Lily and Ashley sat in an interrogation room, mostly because it was quiet in there, as opposed to the bullpen, where chaos reigned supreme. The shooting was all over the news and Jacobi was losing his patience rapidly as the day went on with no relevant leads.

 

Cindy sat with her daughters, absently running a hand through Lily’s red locks. The girl had been crying and couldn’t seem to stop; every time she thought she had finally managed to control her tears, the image of Mike bleeding out would pop into her mind and the tears would come back full force.

 

They had also taken a shower to clean away the blood and changed clothes.

 

Ashley kept fiddling with her jumper’s sleeves and scowling at the table, as they waited for Lindsay, Kayla and Jill.

 

Another two minutes passed in silence and then the door opened, the three women walking in and taking their place at the table.

 

Lindsay placed two cups of hot chocolate in front of her daughters. “Claire said it would help warm you up…”

 

Lily gave a watery smile and took a sip. Ashley wrapped her hands around her cup, Lindsay sitting down next her and running a hand through the girl’s short hair. The brunette teen sighed and leaned her head on her mother’s shoulder.

 

“So, tell us about Mike…” Kayla prompted, trying to put the girls at ease.

 

Lily sniffled. “He’s in my maths class, always helps me if I have a problem. He’s really smart; very geeky too…” the girl let out a giggle, making the adults smile slightly.

 

“Wasn’t he supposed to be in class, when he…” Kayla trailed off, not quite sure how to finish the sentence.

 

“No, we had a free period.” Lily answered, playing with her tissues. “We were sitting outside the cafeteria, when Mrs. Lewis, the drama teacher, came to get him. She said she had rewritten some of the lines for the next play and wanted to give Mike the new script.”

 

“Did they go to her office?”

 

“I think so. It’s right next to the principal’s office, so I don’t know what he was doing near the gym when he was…” she stopped, turning to hug her mother as fresh tears sprung to her eyes.

 

“It’s alright Lily.” The redhead soothed, locking worried eyes with Lindsay.

 

“Ash? Can you tell us what happened?” she asked her oldest daughter, giving Lily some time to regroup.

 

“Umm… I was in class… English Lit…” The girl smiled slightly, remembering how bored she had been by Ms. Sullivan’s Shakespeare musings. “I was bored, I so don’t see the point of that class and Ms. Sullivan is a bit weird, waving her pointer around…” Seeing her mother’s amused look, she grinned sheepishly “Anyway, I was bored and looking out the window. I could see Lily with her friends and other students around the patio. Ms. Sullivan caught me distracted, but once she continued with her explanations I tuned her out again.”

 

Jill raised an expressive eyebrow toward her inspector friend. Lindsay’s somewhat exasperated look said everything about her thoughts regarding Ashley’s usual distractions in class.

 

“I was looking at the clock when I heard three pops. They sounded far away… I looked out the window and the students were all looking around. I thought I’d imagined it, but then Mike… I didn’t know it was him then, but he comes around from the back of the gym and moves toward the patio.”

 

Ashley paused and took a sip of her hot chocolate. Lily’s sobs had quieted down, but the odd sniffle could be heard every now and then.

 

“When I recognized him I also saw he was bleeding from his stomach.” A pensive look crossed her face “I, uh, think I said something out loud, ‘cause Ms. Sullivan started complaining, but then other students moved to the window as well. Ms. Sullivan lost her pointer when she saw what was going on.”

 

Jill snorted and Lily giggled. Kayla cleared her throat, trying to hide her smile. Lindsay shook her head in dismay.

 

“Ashley.” Cindy admonished, although she was amused as well.

 

“What? It’s true. I nearly slipped on the damn thing when I ran out the door to get to Lily. Oh… While we were looking out the window, Mike came closer and Lily ran to him, just as he collapsed. That’s when I ran out the door.”

 

******

 

_20 years later…_

 

Rachel snorted in amusement. “You remember nearly tripping over your teacher’s pointer?” she asked incredulously.

 

“What?!” Ashley asked crossing her arms in annoyance “That thing was dangerous!”

 

The other woman laughed. When the brunette pouted, she leaned over and kissed her cheek “How is it that you remember almost tripping over a pointer 20 years ago, but you forgot our two year anniversary last month?”

 

Ashley’s eyes widened and she scratched the back of her head “Ah, well… that, uhh, wasn’t… I…”

 

Rachel took pity on her flustered lover and kissed her lovingly.

 

“You’re cute when you’re flustered…” she said, when they separated.

 

“I’m not _cute_! Has my mother been showing you the baby pictures again?” Ashley grumbled.

 

“Don’t change the subject. So, tell me more.” Rachel’s gaze softened “I know that shooting affected you… You still dream about it sometimes…”

 

The brunette’s scowl turned into a pained expression. “That one isn’t the shooting I still dream about…”


	3. Chapter 3

Three days had passed since Mike had been shot and so far no one seemed to have had a grudge against the boy. He was a good student, well liked by his friends and teachers and stayed out of trouble.

 

As opposed to one Ashley Boxer, who had gotten into a fight… Again.

 

Lindsay was too exhausted to be angry with her daughter. The last few days had been frustrating and the lack of sleep wasn’t helping either; Lily was having nightmares and would sometimes wake up screaming. Ashley’s way of coping had turned out to be very similar to her mother’s; she was moody, angry and got into fights at school.

 

Lindsay wasn’t really listening to what the principal had been saying, her attention on her scowling daughter. She’d tried talking to her, but Ashley said she was fine. Maybe it was time Cindy had a talk with her. Seeing as the reporter had managed to crack the inspector’s shields and tear them down, she’d probably get through to Ashley. The redhead insisted mother and daughter were alike, so maybe a redheaded Thomas would do the trick.

 

“Mr. Morrison now has a broken nose and a black eye and-”

 

“He deserved it. He is a jackass and he was being disrespectful towards Mike.” Ashley spoke up, glaring at the principal.

 

“Miss Boxer! Do not interrupt me!”

 

Lindsay put a hand on her daughter’s shoulder. “Ashley… Would you wait outside? I’ll join you in a minute.”

 

The girl scowled but relented, getting up and stomping out of the office, slamming the door behind her.

 

******

 

Lily had just rounded the corner on her way to her locker, when she saw Taylor Morrison huddled around his locker, glancing around the deserted corridor, as if making sure no one was watching.

 

The redhead teen retreated back a few steps and peeked around the corner.

 

What she saw made her blood run cold and then boil in anger. What was Morrison doing with a _gun_ in his locker?

 

The boy looked around again and stuffed the weapon in his backpack.

 

Lily’s mouth had started moving before her brain could catch up.

 

“What the hell are you doing?!” She slammed her hands over her mouth, when she realized she’d spoken out loud.

 

Taylor jumped at the sudden intrusion and then realized he’d been caught red handed.

 

Time seemed to slow down for Lily. She was still chastising herself for opening her mouth, when the other student started moving toward her, gun in hand. Their gazes locked and in the slowest five seconds of her life, the redhead realized his intent.

 

Mike’s last moments suddenly flashed through her mind, as if she had been present. She saw the two students arguing; Taylor pulling out a gun; Mike making a grab for it; Mike being shot once; twice; three times; Mike stumbling; Mike falling; Mike coughing up blood; Mike dying.

 

Lily screamed and ran.

 

*****

 

Lindsay _felt_ that something was terribly wrong, before she’d heard the shots. She’d bolted out of the principal’s office, gun in hand, just as Ashley darted down the corridor.

 

“ASHLEY!!!” She yelled and darted after her daughter.

 

They rounded a corner, then another. Three more shots were fired. Several people screamed.

 

The brunette teenager was about to round another corner, when a bullet shattered the window on her left. She skidded to a halt, crouched down and looked around the corner.

 

Lindsay caught up to her just as Ashley watched her sister trip and fall on the floor. Another bullet whizzed past, imbedding itself in the wall.

 

Taylor aimed at the fallen girl. Lindsay jumped out from her position behind the wall.

 

“POLICE!! Drop your weapon!!” she yelled, earning his attention, giving Lily a few seconds to move away. However the girl was too shocked to move and just stared at the muzzle of the gun aimed at her.

 

The inspector stood frozen, gun in front of her, looking frantically between her daughter and the other student. If he fired, she’d never get to Lily in time. If she fired, she’d probably miss because they were too far away from her.

 

The moment she decided to take a step forward, the student smirked. He was going to shoot.

 

Lindsay bolted forward just as someone came barreling down the other end of the corridor and tackled the boy into the lockers. The inspector stopped dead in her tracks and watched in increasing horror as her oldest daughter grappled with the shooter for the gun.

 

More screaming and yelling was heard. Three police cars screeched to a halt at the school’s entrance, their sirens wailing. They’d never get there in time.

 

The boy sucker punched Ashley in the stomach. She gasped and fell on her knees clutching her middle. Her mother’s yelled ‘NO!’ made her look up into the barrel of a gun. Just before he squeezed the trigger, she had dived towards her sister.

 

Three shots were fired in quick succession. Ash heard the bullet hit the floor three inches from her head, fragments from the impact hitting her right hand. Then she heard a thud; Taylor Morrison collapsed to the floor just as several police officers, including Kayla and Jacobi flooded the corridor.

 

******

 

_20 years later…_

 

Whatever Rachel had expected it was not what Ashley had just told her. She was struck speechless and a bit terrified.

 

“I…That’s why you joined the police…” She spoke, somewhat amazed “I always thought it was because of your mother…”

 

Ashley sighed, leaning her head against the back of the couch and looking at the ceiling. “Up until that day, I wanted to become a firefighter… It’s been almost twenty years now…”

 

Rachel didn’t know what to say, so she opted for the next best thing: she wrapped her arms around her lover’s waist and settled her head on the other woman’s shoulder under her chin.

 

Ashley closed her eyes and relaxed into the other woman’s embrace.

 

It didn’t last long though. There was a knock on the door followed by “Ashley Thomas-Boxer, open this door immediately or I swear I’ll knock it down myself” and “You are _not_ knocking any doors down Lindsay!”.

 

Rachel grinned widely; Ashley frowned and moved to the door. She unlocked it and opened it, being greeted by her two mothers, sister, brother-in-law and two year old grinning nephew.

 

“You’re a bit too old to be knocking doors down, don’t you think mom?” the brunette asked.

 

Lindsay scowled and smacked her on the head as she walked in. “Show some respect for my white hairs, since most of them are your fault anyway.”

 

Lily grinned widely and hugged her big sister, handing her giggling son over to his aunt.

 

As her family invaded her house, Ashley realized exactly why they were there. She looked at the grinning boy in her arms and shook her head. Trust them to know exactly how to cheer her up on this day of the year.

 

She closed the door. “Hi Jake” she tickled the little boy, her nephew dissolving into giggles and wrapping his tiny arms around her neck.


End file.
